Turks From Hell: Advent Children
by redfirerose
Summary: Created for my friend Turks. Advent children following the Turks involvement with the addition of two extra turks. ... yeah, i'm sorry.
1. Chapter 1

Redfirerose: okay this is officially the first fic I'm posting online ever. I wrote this for my friend Turks over a year ago. We happened to be in the same photography class and started writing little one-shots back and forth about what it would be like to be turks First warning: this is a self insert story. That is it was written as if Amanda and I were Turks. Personally I don't really like this type of fic, and it was hard for me to write, but several of my friends have told me to post it, thus here it is. I sincerely hope you enjoy it and please review. Flames are really annoying but any constructive critisism is happily accepted.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or even the plot to this story. I just meddle around with it. I am making no profit off of this story.

It was two years since meteor fall. Two years since the utter destruction of Midgar.

Ever since the fall of the Shinra electric power company, the new president, Rufus Shinra, had been residing in Healin lodge accompanied by his faithful Turks. At the height of Shinra's power the Turks had been a select few, hand picked and trained to be the best of the best. They were sent on only the most classified and important missions, from reconnaissance to assassinations, and were given unlimited authority. There are only three rules the Turks live by.

_Follow orders._

_Complete the mission._

_Never give information to the enemy._

For the past seven years I have lived by these rules and I have always been true to my nature. No matter how many lives I have taken I have never strayed.

I am a Turk.

And that is all I shall ever be.

*******

_**Sitting next to Reno inside the Shinra-X0008 helicopter is one of the worst missions a Turk could ever have. So naturally Rude or I always get stuck with it. Being so patient really sucks sometimes. For the most part, hanging out with Reno isn't so bad. His sarcastic humor has always been a welcome aspect of my job. The thing is whenever he's piloting, he feels the need to show off his "skills." Reno is undeniably one of the best pilot's alive and I never truly appreciated this fact until I was chosen to accompany him to the northern cave.**_

---

"I called this meeting to assign a new mission to you all," Rufus Shinra may have been in a wheelchair, but the man could hold a rooms attention as easily as always.

"This particular retrieval is of the highest priority."

"What, you run out of Haagen-Daazs?" Reno would never learn to shut his mouth.

"Jenova's head has been located at the northern cave. I'm sending four of you out for retrieval. There are bound to be others seeking it. The cells must be destroyed, in the wrong hands…" It didn't need to be said. There were more than a few people willing to kill for such a commodity. Coupled with the destruction recently caused by Jenova…

"Jenova's head?" Reno said breathlessly, slumping back against the wall.

"Tseng and Amanda shall go to the northern cave. Briana and Reno will pilot the helicopter in case anything goes wrong and you need a quick escape." Rufus pulled out a map from behind the desk and laid it out.

"Should we call AVALANCHE?" Reno asked

Rufus nodded "Contact Cloud and tell him we need to talk. His delivery service is based at Seventh heaven, I think it's called?" Rufus supplied the number.

"Now if you approach from the east-"

"Sir? If I may speak I think Elena would be better suited for this mission than me. If there are others after Jenova then silence would be for the best and really as loud as I am…" Amanda trailed off

"I hadn't thought of that. Very well Elena shall go instead. Any way, if you approach from the east you can …

---

"That was shameless Amanda."

Turning to look Amanda smiled. "Oh come on Briana, 'lanie and Tseng totally have the hots for each other. This could be the push they need."

"Yes, because searching for the head of an apocalyptic calamity is just the romantic moment they've been missing."

Amanda scratched her head "you know that logic of yours has a tendency to make my brilliant plans sound crazy."

Briana scoffed "My logic has nothing to do with it, you are nuttier than a fruitcake and you know it. I'm just not afraid to point it out to you. I've certainly known you long enough to have gained that privilege"

"Hey I resent that! I'm a lot smarter now then I was back then." Amanda defended herself.

"I should hope so you thought materia grew on trees." Briana chuckled.

"You said you'd never speak of that again!"

---

_**Reno was weaving the chopper back and forth. He only did that when he was worried. Even as he tapped his fingers against the controls feigning nonchalance I could tell from his minor quirks that he was nervous. Hell, I was nervous and I wasn't even doing anything.**_

---

"Tseng! Look at this"

"Paydirt"

"Not a pretty sight is it?" Tseng and Elena's voice rang out from the speakers picking up the microphones.

"Who cares? Just get the damn thing." There was that nervous finger twitch again. Reno was right. The sooner they got the head the safer they'd be.

"Reno the chopper" Tseng said the signal.

"You got it" Reno went into full Turk mode and focused on the task at hand smirking as the chopper descended into the cloud cover.

Shots fired out of nowhere and the sound startled Reno, causing him to jerk on the controls. As he got the chopper under control Elena's voice rang out.

"Reno, hurry! Reno!"

"Who the hell is that?" Reno asked as a silver haired Sephiroth wannabe came into view.

"It looks like a remnant." Briana leaned out the window with her gun returning fire and covering the two Turks below.

"I thought all the remnants were destroyed?" Reno managed to get the X0008 to hover a few feet above the ground.

A shot rang out and Elena made a pained whimper.

"Elena!" Tseng's voice rang out

"get-get out of here" Elena was badly wounded. She had taken shots to the leg and shoulder and was loosing a lot of blood. Tseng ran the box over to the chopper and gave the order to Reno.

"You leave now; I'll hold them off and take care of Elena"

"But sir-"Reno protested horrified.

"You are a Turk and that is a direct order. The control of those cells is our main priority. Now go!"

Reno cursed as Tseng ran back to Elena firing at the enemy. Shaking, Reno maneuvered the copter back out of the clouds and on course to Healin. When the microphones signal cut out, nothing was said as Briana took the controls.

---

redfirerose: yep and that's chapter one. Pretty short but I'm dividing this up at where I think are good points to stop. Chapter two coming right up!


	2. Chapter 2

Redfirerose: I own nothing but myself. Please do not sue me as I am a poor college student.

---

The sounds of a chopper were heard before Reno came in with the box, followed closely by Briana, tortured looks on their faces.

"Where are Tseng and Elena? Did my plan work? I bet they scarred you for life by making out in Reno's exalted chopper." Amanda prattled on.

"Amanda. Stop. They're not here. We were ambushed. Tseng ordered us to go on." Briana stated in a monotone

"You _left_ them! How could you Briana!" Amanda yelled, horrorstruck.

"It was a direct order from a superior. I followed orders and completed the mission successfully as is my duty." Briana spoke in clipped sentences as she took the box from Reno and brought it over to Rufus.

"Briana-"Amanda started

Briana turned sharply. "No. I am a Turk and you know damn well what that entails" She stalked out of the room. "I need to get some air."

***

Deep within the forgotten city a young man stood, smirking at the two bloodied Turks before him. To an outsider he would look innocent, angelic, even. His long silver hair framed a feminine face. Blue-green eyes were graced with a set of thick lashes and stood out against his pale skin. The vacant look on his face was tinged with amused cruelty as he lifted the serrated dagger once more.

"I must say Loz was right. You Turks are fun to play with when you aren't fainting." He shot a disgusted look at Elena who lay unconscious on the ground in chains. "I only wish you would say something useful. Screams get so boring after the first few hours. Now please answer my question. Where's mother?" his soft, lilting voice was rather unsettling.

"…If you think… that ...little knife…. will get me to talk… your dead wrong. It didn't …..Work before. And it won't… work… now." Tseng spat out between labored breaths.

"Of course not, you're Turks. You're the best of the best. If you gave in to Loz I would have lost all respect for you. He's a bit of a push over. I, on the other hand, am far more effective." The man placed the daggers blade into a nearby brazier, the red hot coals radiating heat. He turned back to Tseng. "Loz is a simple creature and not very imaginative. He probably just tried to beat the information out of you." Casting a speculative look over Tseng's bleeding face and chest. Dragging a stool over, the man sat down and lifted Tseng's arm. "Broken in three places. I'm sure the pain is excruciating. But you can handle pain."

"Is there… A point …To this?" Tseng asked panting.

The man tilted his head, his expression still blank. "Loz never thought to try anything past physical pain. But that tactic appears useless on you. So I'll try something else." He stood and walked over to Elena's unconscious form. "For every thing you do that displeases me, she shall pay the price."

Tseng watched in horror as the man walked back to the brazier and lifted the red hot dagger out.

"Yazoo." Another young man came in, this one with shoulder length hair and slightly more masculine face. The two could easily pass as twins. His eyes flicked to the dagger, and a smirk formed on his face. "Have you gotten any information yet?"

"No Kadahj. I've only just begun. Give me some time." Yazoo said in his strange tone

"Hurry brother." Kadahj commanded as he swept out of the room.

Yazoo turned back to Tseng "Now then… Where's Mother?"

***

Briana leaned against the railing outside staring up at the stars. She traced the constellations with her eyes as the door behind her opened. Nothing was said as Reno came up next to her.

"Amanda says sorry. She said she shouldn't have yelled at you. She knows there wasn't anything we could do." He whispered.

"No. I could have ignored Tseng's orders and just grabbed them and flown off." Briana kept looking up.

"You know that would have jeopardized the mission. You could have ended up dead and then Jenova would be in enemy hands."

They were quiet for a moment before Briana spoke.

"Do you know the story behind that group of stars?" She pointed out the figure of a woman "It's the Venrai Constellation. Venrai was a legendary soldier. She fought her way past any obstacle

and always followed orders. Then during one mission, her commander told her to fight when she wanted her group to retreat. Her troops were caught in a trap. Enemies were all around and she had the choice to follow orders or do what her heart said was right."

"What did she do?"

"She followed orders and fought. All her comrades died. In her rage she killed every enemy on the battlefield. She returned a hero and upon her death the gods placed her form in the heavens. But when anyone asked her about her marvelous victories she would grow quiet and say that she would give all her titles up if she could just have her friends back." Briana looked at her hands on the railing. "That's only one of the tales about her. There are many more stories about her life. I've always seen similarities between Venrai and myself, but I hoped I never had to compare myself to that particular one."

"They're just stories Briana. Don't let them cloud your vision of what's right" Reno pushed himself up.

"But what's right?" Briana said to herself.

Reno paused. "That's for you to decide."

---

Amanda was sitting with Rude as Rufus filled them in on the latest information when the phone rang

"It may be Cloud. Amanda, you better answer it, you always got along with AVALANCHE better than the rest of us" Rufus said indicating the ringing phone to their right.

"Where's mother?" an effeminate voice asked.

"No name, no explanation, or hi how's it going? Who the hells are you and who's mom are you referring to? It better not be my mom because that's rather rude," Amanda covered the mouthpiece "not you Rude the other kind" she returned to the conversation

"You're leading me on. Because I do think you have mother there"

"WHAT THE HELLS BELLS ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT YOU CRAZIER THAN ME PERSON YOU!" Amanda twitched and yelled.

"No need to shout" the man chuckled. A pause, then, "I don't want to talk to _you_ any more. Put the president on."

"Gawd you sound like a petulant child and I should know I've _mastered_ the art." Amanda handed the phone over. "Here boss man you try dealing with major psycho"

"Kadahj" Rufus answered "we don't have your mother."

"We'll see about that first hand" Kadahj retorted.

Rufus called Reno into the room. "Call Cloud again and tell him to hurry. We really need his

help on this operation.

---

A motorbike was heard in the front. "How did they get here so fast?" Rude asked.

"It's probably Cloud; Fenrir would definitely get here first." Amanda said

"That's if he got the messages. Sir I think you should go in the back room just in case. Reno and Rude will act as first line of defense. See who it is and what their intentions are. Amanda and I will act as backup if necessary." Briana suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." Rufus wheeled his chair into the back room.

"Reno," Briana whispered. "Act normal, we have to believe Tseng and Elena will be fine. And we can't let anyone know the Turks are weakened right now, Cloud especially. Alright?"

Reno heaved a sigh before he nodded.

"Good." Briana exited the room followed by Rude as Reno prepared himself to fight the first thing that came through the door.

Redfirerose : well looking back at this chapter I notice that I really need to find a better way to show pauses in speech.


	3. Chapter 3

Redfirerose: the lawyers are coming to take me away! Evil lawyers, go back to the west coast!

---

_**Waiting is something a Turk doesn't usually do. High priority missions tend to be rather exciting, but as I stood in that back room I realized how much I hated the stifling silence. With nothing to occupy my mind I found myself thinking too much. Those few moments, listening to the footsteps seemed to last forever. Each step sent a new thought into my head. Tseng. Elena. Were they still alive?**_

---

Reno made himself look like an idiot once again. Getting himself locked out like he did was just like him. Rude showed more tact and refrained from charging.

"Good. You fight like the soldier you once claimed to be. You haven't lost your touch." Rufus wheeled into the room. Briana followed to stand next to Rude while Amanda crouched to kneel to Rufus' right.

"Rufus Shinra? Do I feel sorry for you." Cloud looked at Rufus pityingly.

"The day of the explosion-"Rufus began

"What do you want from me?" pity turned to suspicion.

"-I managed to get out of the building-"

"Who were the guys that attacked me?" suspicion to anger.

"-Before it collapsed." He finished.

"I'm leaving." Cloud turned his head.

Amanda looked bored. "No, your going to listen to what we have to say, or so help me I'll keep bothering you until your weird ass chocobo hair turns gray." She folded her arms on the armrest and laid her head down

"We need your assistance Cloud" Rufus pleaded

"Not interes-" Cloud began.

Rufus cut him off. "I acknowledge that Shinra…owes the planet a lot. It goes without saying that my company and I are responsible for putting the world in the sorry state it's in. therefore it's our responsibility to set things right."

"I'm still out here!" Reno complained

"We know Reno." Briana called out.

Amanda snickered. "That rhymed."

"As a first step we have commenced an investigation in Sephiroth's wake." Rufus explained, ignoring the others.

"Yep at the northern cave" Reno added from outside.

"What do you think we found?" Rufus paused, mentally deliberating whether to inform the mistaken ex-soldier of the existence of remaining Jenova cells. Deciding against it he continued. "Nothing. Nothing at all. You can relax. However not all went as planned. We were interrupted by the same three who attacked you. Kadahj and his gang."

"Kadahj?"Cloud questioned

"It seems he doesn't want us finishing what we started… really, what could they be thinking?"

"What does that have to do with me?" Cloud asked. Truthfully the situation had nothing to do with him, but it seemed he had a hidden hero complex. So long as he fought, Shinra had no problem using that quirk to their devices.

"You're our buddy aren't you?" Reno asked mockingly.

Cloud kicked the door.

"Kadahj's group is young and violent. As dangerous as they come. That's why we decided it might be in our best interest to hire a little muscle." Rufus tried to insert a sense of heroism to entice Cloud to battle, while still making it clear that Cloud was inferior.

'Too bad. I'm a delivery boy now." Apparently the danger wasn't enough to override Cloud's offence at being referred to as 'a little muscle'.

In order to appease him Rufus made his voice pleading. "You're all we have. Cloud, look. You're an ex-soldier, aren't you?"

"….In my head." Cloud turned to leave and paused. "What's this stuff about…mother?"

Rufus changed tactics, in hopes to appeal to Cloud's sense of humanity. "Why? did Kadahj say something to you? No surprise. There are plenty of kids who miss their mothers. That's the world we live in. I hear there are orphans living with you. Think about it. Don't you want to put smiles back on their faces?" He leaned back as he spoke this.

"All we want in the end, Is to rebuild our world, Cloud."

"But I- " Cloud turned to look back

"Come on Cloud think about it. Together we could rebuild Shinra." As always Reno picked the wrong thing to say. Cloud hated Shinra.

"Not interested." Cloud brushed past him on the way out.

"_Reno_"

---

_**In retrospect, I suppose that our behavior kind of ruined the whole badass Turk image. But really it's difficult to act serious when Reno is present, and it's even harder when the person you're talking to looks like he lost a fight with an electrical socket. Every single time I see Cloud I get the urge to ask Amanda if she wants to eat Junon Fried Chocobo. Yeah it's that bad.**_

***

Yazoo stood in the darkened room and admired his work. Elena and Tseng were covered in criss-crossing cuts and burns, the overall effect being a sort of jagged pattern dancing across the skin.

"I so take pride in my work. I'm sure you of all people can understand that." He tilted his head. "It's a shame your of no more use to us. I suppose you think your silence is noble. Foolish creatures." He scoffed raising his gun.

"Yazoo. Leave them. We have more important matters to attend to." Kadahj said from the door way. "They'll be dead soon anyway. Don't waste the bullet."

---

Light spilled into the room as the door was opened. A tall figure was silhouetted in the opening.

Elena stirred as she was lifted and felt the wind hit her face as she was carried out side the building. She caught a glimpse of red before everything faded back to black.

---

Redfirerose: ugh, what an awful place to stop. Luckily all these chapters are already done.


	4. Chapter 4

Redfirerose: Don't sue. I have absolutely no money.

---

Reno was pacing the room for what had to be the 400th time, when the sound of motorbikes was heard out side.

"Here we go again. Can we assume that this visit is hostile? Because I really want to kick some butt." Amanda said pulling out her bladed fans.

"Of course you do." Briana said flatly. She pulled on her bracers, equipping a mastered fire materia into each.

The two stood out on the porch and watched as the three clones drove up the path. Briana's hand clenched as she saw the men climb the stairs.

"How considerate. The president has sent a welcoming group for us." Kadahj said.

"Of course. I'll be happy to welcome you… to hell." Amanda said flatly.

"Was that supposed to be threatening?" Loz laughed

"Amanda really, that was pretty clichéd." Briana whispered.

"You could have said that before I made myself look like and idiot" She whispered back

"Just start fighting okay?"

"Right." Amanda charged at the trio. On the narrow porch she over shot her self and passed Kadahj, her strike landing on Loz, cutting his cheek as the blade skimmed past his face. Bracing his back leg he hit through her defenses and released the electric prongs on his gauntlet into her side. Jolting from the shock she retaliated with a cross slash slicing deep into his left arm and chest.

"I'll leave you to it" Kadahj said heading toward the door. Briana moved to block the entrance. She lunged forward about to strike when she was lifted before her blow could connect. Strong arms tossed her over the edge of the railing to the ground below. Pain exploded in her head as it connected with the hard dirt. Moaning she pulled herself up to watch as Kadahj let himself inside.

"Amanda!" she yelled

"Leave him to Reno and Rude! Worry about these two!" she called back ducking the punch aimed at her face.

Briana nodded, pain shooting through her head at the gesture. Temples pounding she looked up the stairs at the man who had tossed her. "I know you. You're the one who was shooting at the northern cave!" she called.

He vaulted over the railing and landed before her. "And you were the wench in the helicopter." He smirked. "Leaving them behind like you did… I have to thank you for that gift. It you hadn't, I wouldn't have had the pleasure of hearing them scream."

"Bastard!" Briana charged. Yazoo dodged effortlessly swinging the handle of his gun down into the back of her neck.

Shaking off the pain she spun and delivered a roundhouse kick. Yazoo went flying into the stairs.

Amanda was holding her own against Loz. "Hey, did you really think that hairstyle was cool or did you lose a fight with a hairdryer?!" she taunted. Loz grew furious and landed an electrifying blow to the chest, sending Amanda into the wall. Briana rushed up the stairs and rained blows onto Loz's back circling her way to the step above him. planting her boot on his chest, she kicked him down the stairs to land on his brother. Turning to Amanda's prone form she sighed in relief before blacking out as the ground began to quake.

***

Reno was tossed to the ground near Rude to weak to move.

"Boy do I hate liars." Kadahj said cockily as he walked towards Rufus.

"I apologize. This time you'll get the truth. The object you seek fell from the helicopter while we were running from you. I'm afraid we were careless." The Turks were never careless and it was obvious Kadahj could see through the ruse.

"Is that right?" he questioned mockingly.

"I swear it." Rufus' tone was hardly solemn and he kept an amused façade

"Fine then. Swear on these." Kadahj tossed two bloodstained ID cards onto the table. The faces and names emblazoned on them standing out clearly in the light.

The façade broke. "Why did you do this?" He asked.

"We need mother's power. The reunion is coming and we need her" Kadahj explained sharply.

"Reunion" Just as expected, the word confirming Rufus' fear.

"My brothers and sisters who share mother's cells will all assemble and together we'll take revenge on the planet. We've already sent out the invitations, but you know someone's gone and hidden the guest of honor" Kadahj was back to acting the amused psychopath

"Invitations?" Rufus prompted.

"The stigma?" Kadahj spoke as if he were talking to a slow child. "But you know all about that. Mother's mimetic legacy lives on in the lifestream and makes it happen. She does so much for us and we-we don't even know where to find her" Kadahj turned.

"But what can we do? We're just remnants. Merely remnants of mother's legacy. Until we find mother and receive her cells we can't be whole again. Geostigma and a legacy aren't enough, not for a true reunion."

"What do you mean?" Rufus asked patronizingly.

"But sir, surely you've noticed." Kadahj bowed to one knee. The ground started to shake, power wracking the whole building.

"Meet me in Midgar I shall personally show you our intentions." Kadahj said looking up at Rufus.

"And if I don't?" Rufus questioned.

"Oh you will sir. Because you're curious. And because you're precious Turks are currently at my mercy." Kadahj knew he had the upper hand. "Agree to come and no harm will befall any of you." Kadahj rose to stand.

"Very well Kadahj." Rufus bowed his head slightly and followed him out. The two left the room passing Reno and Rude. Outside, they paused as Kadahj kicked his brothers awake, fully reviving them with a cure materia.

Amanda stirred and saw them preparing to depart.

"Sir!" she cried out.

Rufus turned to look "It's all right Amanda."

"Your letting them leave?" she asked shocked.

"I've worked out an agreement. I'm to meet them in Midgar by weeks end"

"They're forcing you to meet with them?" She glared at the trio spitefully.

"Calm yourself Amanda. My attendance is by my own will."

"Own will, huh?" she muttered then, "Sir. Permission to accompany you?"

"Permission Granted" Rude's voice rang out from where he leaned weakly against the door frame.

"Rude you don't have authority." Rufus objected.

"Tseng isn't present and Reno is incapacitated. That temporarily makes me superior. And according to rule 44-7, if the president's safety is questioned, the Turk superior may overrule a presidential command. As such I grant Amanda permission to escort you and ensure your safety."

"I don't have time for this" Kadahj turned. "Take the brat if you wish. It makes no difference" the three kick started their bikes and raced off.

***

_**Phones are a marvelous invention. They allow people to keep in contact even when they're half a world apart. I love this little invention, because it allowed me to learn of Tseng and Elena's safety. However waking up to Reno's annoying-ass ring tone after being tossed off a porch would send anyone into a murderous rage.**_

---

"If I have to hear that song much longer I'm going to have to kill someone." Briana moaned clenching her eyes shut.

The noise stopped as Reno answered. "What... yes…. Thank you." Relief was apparent in his voice as he hung up. "You woke up at a good time. That was Vincent. Apparently he rescued Tseng and Elena. He's done his best and they're alive."

"Vincent? He doesn't have a phone." Briana said blearily opening her eyes still not grasping what was going on.

"He found Tseng's and used the number stored in his call list."

Briana shot up making her head spin. "They're all right!"

"Whoa! Hold on there you hit your head pretty hard" Reno moved to her side and forced her to lie down. "How did that happen any way? You're usually not that clumsy."

She sighed "I pulled a Reno. I charged without thinking and got tossed over the railing. What happened anyway? I blacked out. Are Rude and Amanda ok? And where's Rufus?"

"Rude is searching for a cure materia for your head. As for Rufus, he decided to go meet with Kadahj. Amanda tagged along to protect him." Reno sat down on the edge of the bed.

Briana shot up again "They're what! With Kadahj?!!!"

Reno pushed her back down. "Calm down, your hurt. They're _not_ with Kadahj. The meeting's in a week. They left to go to Midgar early so they could prepare themselves. It'll be alright Rufus wouldn't go without a good plan"

Briana calmed down visibly "So what's the plan?"

"I have no idea," Briana tensed and Reno put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from rising again. "But the plan here is to heal up, Get the others, and head to Midgar."

"How long have I been out?" Briana asked.

"About an hour" Rude entered the room with a hi-potion. "I couldn't find the cure materia.

"We need to get Tseng and Elena." Briana downed the potion wincing at how sugary it tasted. "Reno, get the chopper ready"

"Hey you're still hurt, you shouldn't move too much." Reno braced both hands on her shoulders as he tried to keep Briana from standing.

She placed a hand on his arm. "It's alright. I'm ok. But we can't say the same about the others. We need to get them here as quickly as possible."

"I know that. I'm leaving. But you should stay here and rest. Rude will stay here in case anything happens." Reno stood up.

"You can't go alone Reno. You're heading into enemy territory, and I doubt anything is going to happen here." She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Face it I'm coming with you." Briana turned her head "Rude. Look for any potions, cure materia, bandages, whatever. We'll need to be prepared when we get back" she rose and moved to put her shoes on.

"I don't like the idea of you going out after the beating you took." Reno walked out of the room heading out to the chopper

Briana followed. "Yeah well deal with it. You're acting as if I was mortally injured. I'm a Turk. I've taken worse than this before. What's got you acting this way?"

Reno opened the door and climbed into the helicopter. "Sorry. It's just after the northern cave…." He trailed off.

She slid into the seat next to him. "I see. You're afraid of loosing any of us. Reno, the situation is different. We had to leave them or risk Kadahj getting the Jenova cells. It would have compromised the mission."

"How can you calmly put their lives below the mission?"

"It's the life we live Reno. A Turk's life is always at risk. When we go out on a mission, we have to accept the fact that someone might not come back. You have to prepare yourself for death every time you leave the house. That's why there are so few of us. Rufus doesn't like to risk others lives needlessly. He understands how cruel this job is." She closed her eyes in pain as the helicopter rose in the air.

Reno turned the copter toward the forgotten city "I wish I could prioritize as easily as you do."

"Don't. Just because I appear calm doesn't mean I am. It doesn't mean I don't care. I truly hate the fact that this job will most likely be the death of all of us. It's why I train all the time, why I devote myself entirely to becoming stronger. So I can hopefully be prepared to save us from death. I haven't slept well in the past seven years. I have nightmares of losing any of you every time I close my eyes." She clenched her hands in her lap. "I was so happy when I saw you as I woke up because it meant you were alright. But I was so scared when I didn't see the others."

Reno was quiet. Thinking.

Briana sighed "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." she opened her eyes.

"Don't. Don't apologize to me for saying how you feel…. I think… I understand you better now. You always seemed so distant. As if you only lived for the mission. Now I get why Amanda always talks to you. You genuinely care don't you?" He paused.

"Before I joined the Turks, I was a gang leader in the slums. I used to think that was a family." Briana looked up. Reno rarely talked about his past. He glanced at her. "That's where I got these tattoos." He gestured to the red markings on his cheeks. "They marked me as leader. But after a gang fight went wrong I learned that they didn't care about anyone but themselves. That's when I was offered a place as a Turk. Tseng saw potential in me. So I took the job." Fondness leaked into his words. "I think this is what family should be."

Briana smiled. "Tseng tends to act like a father to all of us, doesn't he?"

"And Elena is a complete mother hen" Reno added.

"Rude is like an overprotective big brother." Briana laughed

"And Amanda is the annoying little sister I hoped I'd never have." Reno shook his head.

"Then I think it's time mother and father come home." Briana said as she looked out the window.

---

Night had fallen when they arrived in the forgotten city. Vincent was standing in front of Tseng and Elena. Briana gasped when she saw the state they were in.

"They're just resting. I did the best I could with my limited resources. There are a lot of injuries that still need to be treated. Kadahj is using this as his base. It sounds like they're planning to collect the children with Geostigma." Vincent helped lift Tseng into the back.

"Do you have any idea why?" Briana asked

"No. it's obvious that they're planning a reunion, but I don't know why they need children unless it's to create a human shield."

"That would be like those sick fucks." Reno spat out.

"We really need reinforcements. Reno, I think we should try to convince Cloud again."

"Do you really think he'll answer his phone?" Reno asked

"If you're looking for Cloud, he's probably at the church." Vincent said pulling back

"The church?" Briana asked, puzzled.

Vincent nodded. "He feels the need to atone. He'll stay by the church to remind himself of his sins."

"You speak as if you know from experience." Briana said shrewdly.

Vincent just turned and walked into the darkness,

---

Returning to Healin, Rude was waiting with all the medical supplies gathered.

"Thank you Rude." Briana said. Opening the back, they brought the two battered Turks into the bed room. "Reno, take Rude and go to the church. I'll stay here and fix up these two."

"Why the chur-?" Rude started, confused.

"Reno will fill you in. just go. Time is of the essence. We'll follow as soon as possible. Take the X0008. We'll use the jet." Briana walked over and started to gather bandages.

Reno nodded. "She's right. Let's go."

As they left Briana looked at the injuries. "I swear Yazoo. You _will _die."

---

Redfirerose: next chapter we'll see what Amanda and Rufus are up to and maybe get to some poorly written action.


	5. Chapter 5

Redfirerose: final chapter. If you've read this far then I'm shocked and rather flattered. Please review as I would really like feedback on my writing abilities. I do not own FF:AC.

(also, they mention Tseng and Elena almost dying from being tortured but when they appear, they have barely a scratch on them. What's up with that?)

---

Potion bottles littered the floor and every bandage and cure materia in the lodge had been dug out. Briana was close to passing out from the exhaustion of casting cure all night. At around midnight she had run out of burn salve and still the wounds were hideous. Grimly she looked at her two comrades and realized that many of the wounds were going to leave permanent scars. One particularly bad gash across Tseng's chest had to be stitched closed to prevent blood loss before she could even start healing him. After about three hours the wound had closed enough to remove the threads but the jagged scar would remain. Elena wasn't any better and now had a network of branching scars in a grotesquely beautiful pattern across her back.

Rubbing her eyes Briana sat back on her heels and looked at the two. Though it had taken all night, she was now confident they would survive. She stood and padded over to grab a pillow and flopped down between the two beds. Too tired to care that the room smelled heavily of antiseptic and hospital grade burn cream, she fell asleep.

---

The inside of the Shinra RS jet was far more comfortable then the X0008. But it was bigger and harder to maneuver.

As it landed just outside of Midgar, Tseng called Rufus. "Sir?"

"Tseng? Is Elena there? How are you?" Rufus sounded relieved.

"Yes sir. We're fine. I've been told that you have a meeting with Kadahj?"

"Yes Amanda is with me. We're on top of one of the higher buildings. The old business building just outside of Wutaitown, I believe. Kadahj should be here any minute now."

"What do we need to do?"

"There are two buildings near here that are about the same height. Bring the net guns and position yourself there. You'll know what to do when the time comes."

"Be careful sir. We'll be there soon. Keep him occupied until we give you the signal." Tseng hung up.

Elena came in from the engine room. "I was just on the phone with Rude. He and Reno are in the central square. Something's going down there."

Briana stood from her seat. "I'll go to the square. You two go get to Rufus."

"Right."

---

"Amanda I don't know how this is going to play out. I don't want you here when Kadahj shows up if you can't control yourself."

"Sir, Shut up. I'm not leaving you and that's final. Kadahj is going down. I can take care of myself just fine." She snapped open her fans. "If I have to, I'll cut his head off. Then all we need is Yazoo and Loz and we'll have a matching set."

Rufus laughed. "Amanda you need to stop talking to Briana. She's a bad influence on you."

---

_**Okay can I just say that I really hate evil summon monsters? Of course I ended up picking the location that was crawling with evil beasties and otherwise irksome things. Not only were there those disgusting canines, but someone had to be a jack ass and summon Sin Bahamut. That really just ruined my day**_

---

An angry mob choked the square as Yazoo and Loz stood in front of the Meteor monument. Surrounding them were a ring of the infected children. Angry parents yelled for their children's return. Yazoo raised his hand as though to silence them and summoned a swarm of sin canines.

Briana tried to force her way through the panicked masses.

"And what are we up to?" Reno asked distracting the two.

"We know mother is here." Yazoo said in his quiet monotone.

"Oh yeah?" Reno questioned in false amusement.

"Yeah, this thing… this… monument thing? Shinra made it" Loz said confidently.

"Oh no, you're just too clever" Reno patronized.

"Except your wrong" Rude stated.

"And wherever she is we just don't know." Reno laughed mockingly.

"What? The peons aren't trusted?" Reno looked at Yazoo in shock turning to look at Rude in disbelief. Rude cleared his throat and straightened his tie.

Having no come back, the two Shinra elite rushed at the pair.

---

"Say Kadahj, I have a question." Rufus looked out over the warped city.

Kadahj shifted amusedly. "And I have an answer."

"You said you needed Jenova cells in order to be whole again. What did you mean by that?"

"Him" Kadahj grew serious. "He's coming back"

"Sephiroth. The nightmare" Rufus face darkened. Amanda twitched slightly

"So they say"

"You mean-"

"I've never known Sephiroth." She twitched again "I just- I sense him there. It's unbearable to think that mother might want Sephiroth more than…" Kadahj stopped

"Poor little remnant." Rufus mocked.

"It doesn't matter who she picks you'll all meet the same end. Mother came here after a long journey to rid the cosmos of fools like you. But…. You know as well as I do nothings changed since she got here. I have to change it to make her happy. If mother

willed it, I would do anything "

"Hmm. The nightmare returns" Rufus sounded almost bored.

"As long as you exist, the nightmares will come again and again" Amanda twitched from where she stood at Rufus' side uncomfortable with having to stand still when she just wanted to rip out his throat.

"The lifestream courses through our planet. Back and forth across the borders of life and death. If that cycle is the very truth of life then history will inevitably repeat itself. So go on. Bring your Jenova's and your Sephiroth's. We'll do as life dictates and stop you every single time." Rufus said with conviction. Amanda held herself steady this time.

"Please sir. Is that your excuse for going after mother yourself? You don't seem all that sorry." Kadahj glared at the two menacingly

Rufus laughed it off. "Sorry? Why, I've never had this much fun."

"Good then let's put an end to all this." Kadahj raised his arm and called forth a summon. The sky darkened as Sin Bahamut descended from the heavens

---

Pandemonium; the streets were in chaos as civilians tried to escape the horror in the sky. Reno ran to the square only to stop short as he spotted the large beast. Trying to stop his momentum Reno flailed his arms back catching Rude across the face with his EMR.

Clutching his nose, Rude turned to see the dark creature just as it broke the thick chain anchoring the meteor monument with a clench of its jaws.

"Hello" Reno's eyes widened

"Oh no." Rude said exasperated

The two ran as far as they could, stopping only to grab some of the non-responsive children.

Yazoo and Loz moved in pursuit.

Briana caught sight of them just as Reno's nostrils were violated by the young boy's fingers.

"Now do you see why I hate children?" Briana laughed running parallel to him.

He ignored her. "Is it after us?"

Rude ran faster. "I'm not looking."

"Is what after us?" Briana asked just before everything exploded, the shockwave sending the three flying.

Groaning, they lay on the ground burning pieces of statue nearby.

"Does that answer your question?" Reno spat out.

Yazoo moved closer to Reno's prone form. "Are we having fun yet?"

Reno sprang up and swung his EMR wildly "the time of my life!" he lashed out and missed and was flung back by a kick to the chest. Recovering he made a flying swing. "When are you gonna call it a day?"

Yazoo jumped back and landed on a small buildings rooftop. "What? Just as soon as you give mother back that'll be the end of everything."

Reno ran at the building using his momentum to climb up it and flip into an attack.

-

Meanwhile, Rude was occupied with Loz catching both of his hands and delivering a

head butt. "What do you need Jenova's head for?" Hands still connected, he moved his legs avoiding a kick when Loz pushed up leaping over Rude's head and pulling them both into an arch. Rude looked confused before Loz pulled up sending him flying.

-

With the two clones attention diverted, Briana began to hunt down the rampant Sin canines. Most dissipated after only a few strikes, but the last was moving faster then the rest had. She moved in pursuit, attacking whenever she got in range.

-

On the building Reno's blows were being blocked effortlessly. "Forget your little reunion and get a grip!"

Yazoo dodged. "All we want is to be with mother!" a kick to the face sent Reno flying.

-

Briana closed in on the canine and was about to strike when it leaped skywards. Following she leaped after it and used a nearby sign as a launch pad. She felt the sign give way just as she flung her body out twisting to avoid colliding with Reno at the last second as he was tossed. She heard the sign fall and thought she heard someone curse as she destroyed the last sin creature.

-

"Mother will know. When she gets here, she'll decide what's best." Loz moved towards Rude. "Now where's mother?" no answer was given a unstable sign fell and landed directly on Rude's head "damn sign" Rude shook his head just as Reno landed on him.

Yazoo stepped on Rude's fallen glasses.

"mother-shmother. It's Jenova's friggin' head." Reno brushed himself off

"Hey!" Loz glared at them

"I will not have you refer to mother that way." Yazoo looked highly affronted.

"You meanie." Loz apparently had not progressed past the mentality of a six year old.

Rude's natural manners kicked in on there own. "Our apologies"

"Your mom's cool." Reno caught himself. "What the hell am I saying?" Yazoo and Reno launched them selves skyward. Loz's attention followed them allowing Rude to land a punch on his face. Reno kicked out sending Yazoo to land near by. Reno turned to flash a thumbs-up at Rude. Loz recovered and took the opportunity to send him backwards into Rude sending the two flying several meters. They slowly pulled themselves up.

Briana flipped off the building to land in a crouch next to her comrades

---

"This is too fun sir! Any requests for the next act?" Amanda tapped Rufus' shoulder and inconspicuously gestured at two lower buildings. Tseng and Elena both revealed them selves from just beyond the shadows and indicated the net guns they carried.

Rufus stood; pulling off the blanket revealing the sealed box he held marked Jenova

Kadahj gasped as if he were in pain. "Mother!"

Rufus smirked, "A good son would have known." He tossed the box off the building as Kadahj watched it in horror. The remnant looked back up in rage and threw his arm in front of him preparing to blast. with a furious scream he released the built up energy. Rufus stepped off the building into a free-fall, Amanda leaping after him. In his descent, he pulled out a gun and fired at Kadahj's stunned form.

Kadahj's attention returned to the falling box. "Mother!"

Reno, Rude, and Briana all turned to look up at the noise and saw Rufus leap. "Sir, no!" Time seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time as shots rang out. Rufus turned his body and shot at the box, a bullet piercing it just before Kadahj caught up to it. Two nets shot out and formed a safety catch that both Rufus and Amanda landed into.

Kadahj flipped himself upright and landed safely on the ground. Reno tensed and pulled into a battle ready stance looking to see who would strike first. The Remnants hopped on their bikes and sped off, Cloud right behind them. The three Turks climbed up some scaffolding that had been covered in cloth to provide protection from the elements, trying to get to the X0008 parked on top.

---

Once in the copter, the Turks rose to watch the pursuit.

"They're headed to the highway. We can cut them off after the tunnel." Rude pointed the location out. "I have something that can slow them down."

They landed the chopper and positioned themselves in front of the tunnels exit. Shots echoed from within.

Kadahj zoomed past on the parallel road.

"Hey. Partner, this thing …. Got any bite to it? Reno held the crude looking explosive.

"Shinra technology at it's finest." Rude deadpanned.

"Oh so you made this?" Briana rolled her eyes at Reno's tone.

"If nothing else it's flashy"

"Oh good" Reno looked back at the device appreciatively

"Would that explain why you kept questioning me about Wutainese fireworks?" Briana asked.

Rude ignored her. "You'll love it I know"

Reno squared his shoulders "Looks like today we're clocking out early"

"Reno. Don't be such a drama queen."

Cloud whizzed past. Yazoo and Loz following. The devices thrown, they hit the remnants just as they detonated. Colorful sparks scattered across the sky in a glorious display.

When the smoke cleared, there was no trace of the remnants.

Briana coughed "Well that was a pretty decent finale." She straightened "Come on you guys. Let's get back to the others."

---

Standing in an empty ally the Turks gathered together as a whole for the first time since the departure for the northern cave. They watched as the sky darkened.

"I sure hope Cloud got his act together." Amanda said watching. Then the enemy came into view "Sephiroth!" cue twitching.

"Calm down Amanda it'll be alright." Rufus patted her arm. They watched as the two swordsmen fought to determine the fate of the planet.

Sure enough the clouds scattered just as Sephiroth reverted back to Kadahj.

"Well this was a good day. We saved the world, got to blow people up, and avoided death. I doubt this moment could be ruined." Tseng smiled.

Rufus pulled out an umbrella. And then it rained.

"Fucking hell! You just had to jinx it. I've been beat up, blown up, tossed around, and now, to top it off, I'm soaked!" Briana vented as she began to pace.

Reno caught her by the arm. "Well none of us are dead are we? What could be better than that?"

She stopped. "You're right." She turned and pounced on him pulling him into a kiss. Reno's eyes widened and he froze

"Whoa! What the heck Briana?! "Amanda stared at her.

Briana pulled back and looked over at Amanda. "Just be glad you're alive and give your man a kiss."

Reno still hadn't moved.

It didn't even look like he was breathing…

"My man?" Amanda asked.

Briana looked over at Rufus and glanced back to her.

"Oh right!" Amanda grabbed the umbrella and tossed it away kissing Rufus senseless.

The Geostigma marks glowed green and dissolved off his body. "Holy Jenova on a stick! I have magic lips!" She yelled.

"Amanda it's Jenova in a box and I think it's the rain that's doing it." Briana laughed.

"Damn"

**********

_**And so the Turks survived another apocalypse. (This being the second in the past ten years.) Reno was back to forming complete sentences after about five minutes. Amanda snagged the richest man on the planet, which made me, her best friend, the recipient of some really kick-ass birthday presents. Tseng and Elena still haven't jumped each others bones yet. (Amanda is plotting with Rude to fix that problem immediately.) And as for me?**_

_**I lived.**_

Redfirerose: finished! Hope you liked it and if so you should go over to Turks site. She and /I are collaborating on a story in this same universe. Please review!


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